Golden Tate of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates as he runs for a touchdown during the 14-9 victory over the the St. Louis Rams at Edward Jones Dome. / Andy Lyons, Getty Images

by Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

by Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

RENTON, Wash. â?? If Golden Tate had been playing for Notre Dame on Monday night, and not the Seattle Seahawks, his 80-yard touchdown catch could have been wiped off because of the NCAA's anti-taunting rule.

If the NFL were to seriously consider adopting a similar rule, as NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandindo told NFL Network could eventually happen, the league would already have one vocal opponent in Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.

Carroll said any rule that would eliminate touchdowns because of taunting or celebration would be a "terrible thing to do" because it would put too much responsibility on game officials to make judgment calls.

"It puts too much pressure on officials to change a game like that," Carroll said. "I think that would be a terrible thing for an official. It's terrible for college football to put it on a back judge to have to figure out whether to take a touchdown away."

Carroll, the former coach at the University of Southern California, referenced a questionable 2008 taunting call against then-University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker that led to a loss against Brigham Young. The touchdown stood, but the penalty was assessed on the extra point.

The Huskies' extra point was blocked, and BYU won 28-27.

"That was horrible, a horrible call to affect a game," Carroll said. "That just should not be part of what an official should call."

Tate was flagged for his blatant taunting foul, as he began waving at Rams safety Rodney McCloud 25 yards before crossing the goal line. The celebration may have been intended more for cornerback Janoris Jenkins, whom Tate beat to make the catch.

Tate apologized for his action after the game, and Carroll on Wednesday reiterated that Tate was wrong and that the officials were right to penalize the Seahawks 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff. Seattle won the game, 14-9, to improve to 7-1 and remain undefeated in the NFC.

"It was a mistake that Golden has totally taken responsibility for," Carroll said. "We wish it wouldn't have happened for a lot of reasons, and the statement he made and we make about it is clear. There's no place for that in football. We don't need that at all. He gets the regular scrutiny he should get, and he'll take it."